You ain't seen nothin' yet (Ormiston Gorge via the Finke River, Northern Territory)

The breakfast call came at 6:55am although Dave and I were already awake and had rolled out of our swags. I brushed the sand off and walked the few steps to the tent to remove my thermals and dress more appropriately for the day ahead. We were soon sipping tea and munching on toast by the fire pit. The reluctance I had shown last evening, when Dave suggested sleeping under the stars, was unfounded. It was, as Bill and Ted would say, truly excellent.

Finke River campground.

Today was another walk of around 15km but it was relatively easy to ensure we were all fit and able to tackle Mt Sonder the next day. We began at the Finke River. There were a number of campsites set up with everything from tents to caravans. The road in was a maze of tracks that had been carved out to avoid boggy sections or deep sand drifts. There were no signs, so to find the camping area first time would be a process of trial and error unless you were a regular visitor.

There was no shortage of water.

Our first stop today involved tracking another resident Western Bowerbird. The bower was a reasonable size and was discovered quickly. Declan knew where it was from previous trips.

A well used bower.

We made our own pace once again today and I was becoming more adept at using the walking poles. As a trade-off I handed the camera to Dave so I could focus on walking. I need to be comfortable using the poles before attempting the climb up Mt Sonder tomorrow, in the pre-dawn dark.

Mt Sonder.

The trail was undulating of course, but there were no major climbs involved. The area was far more open than yesterday and the colours were as stunning as they have been everywhere else. The backdrop to this walk was Mt Sonder, majestic in the distance in the washed-out colours that Namatjira has perfectly captured in his paintings. Aside form the white-out climb to Counts Point, Mt Sonder has been visible at some point everyday.

A controlled burn in the distance.

Being able to choose your own walking pace is a real bonus. It allowed those with a long stride to disappear over the horizon. Those who were not so fast, did not feel pressured to keep up. It also promoted a quiet time for reflecting on the landscape that surrounded us. Before the final trek into Ormiston Gorge, we gathered together in the sandy river bed and rested in the winter sunshine. It was delightfully pleasant laying on the sand listening to the sounds of nature and distant chatter of other members of the group.

It was surprisingly green.

Muscles refreshed, we returned to the trail and Ormiston Creek where Jonny had set up lunch and was waiting for us. The braver souls of our group went swimming in the extremely cold water. I didn’t feel the need. It was a most relaxing day and we covered the distance efficiently and had time to rest at the gorge.

A comfortable place to rest.

We were back at camp early to attend a briefing on tomorrow’s trek: the pre-dawn ascent of Mt Sonder. Our wake-up call would be at 2am. Declan had sketched out the walk on pieces of cardboard and walked us through what to expect as far as terrain and weather conditions. It was recommended we carry a sleeping bag to ward off the pre-dawn cold and the usual 3 litres of water and extra snacks.

Declan in the classroom.

Dave and I re-organised our day packs, complete with a sleeping bag to share. We were advised to sleep in as much of our walking gear as possible. Our thermals kept us very warm around the fire that night as we enjoyed our afternoon tea of damper and an early dinner of risotto.

The swimming hole at the gorge.

There was no loitering around the fire tonight. The early dinner ensured everyone was tucked into their swags by 7pm. A good night's sleep was important for the focus walk of the entire trip. Tomorrow promised to be one of those moments. 

Lunch.

Everyone has enjoyed the trek but as the Bachman Turner Overdrive song goes, "you ain't seen nothin' yet". The climb up Mt Sonder in the morning promises to be something special.

Until then.

The Sound of White (Simpson's Gap, Ormiston Pound and Gorge, Northern Territory).

At the risk of this being a Missy Higgins love in she scores the title for two consecutive posts. This time The Sound Of White. Why? Well dear reader that will shortly become apparent.

We were in the foyer by 7:20am with a number of other trekkers. That’s trekkers, not trekkies. There appeared to be 3 or 4 different groups, too many people for our maximum capacity of 10 walkers. We decided to wait outside on the driveway and were soon joined by others. The convoy of Trek vehicles soon arrived. There were three different groups in all; the 16-day hard core crowd, the 9-day explorers expedition and the sensible 6-day trekkers. The last group included us and three others.

The path to Simpson's Gap.

We met our tour guides, Jonny and Lucas, as we stowed our luggage in the trailer. Jonny, despite his relative youth, is the old hand of the pair. Lucas is a trainee on his second trek. Both of them are from Tasmania, where the company was founded. When the NT season closes, they will return to Tassie for the commencement of the walking season down there.

Hmmm. Reflective.

First stop today was Simpson’s Gap which gave us plenty of time to talk with the other trekkers. It was quite cool at the Gap and we wandered down the gorge, until the water blocked our progress. The black footed rock wallaby that inhabits the area was sensibly nowhere to be seen in the cold weather. The group meandered back to the creek bed where Jonny and Lucas were waiting for us. Jonny had set up a visual presentation of the Chewings and Heavitree ranges and provided us with an overview of the next six days.

The gap.

Our group, which could have numbered 10, suffered a couple of late withdrawals and there were only 8 of us. As Lucas is a trainee, another guide had been allocated to us - Declan, who was at base camp organising, among other things, dinner.

Our classroom.

It is a beautiful landscape and even under a leaden grey sky the contrast of the reds and greens as they shift shades in the light is quite magical. Back at the car park there was a Collared Sparrowhawk that I originally thought could have been a Peregrine Falcon. It was collecting nesting material and moving rather lethargically. Back onto the bus, we turned towards Ormiston Pound and Gorge and the first proper walk of the trip.

The hawk.

We arrived at the car park in light misty rain that cleared as we alighted from the bus and organised our packs.

The walk is a loop, commencing and concluding at the Gorge and traversing the range to get an overview of the Pound enroute. Strictly speaking this is not a part of the Larapinta Trail. The trail undulates in a steady climb to a ridge overlooking the pound. 

And off we go.

The Pound walk is rated one of the best walks in Australia and the view is certainly worth the walk. There were few other people on the trail and the conditions improved as we climbed. Our group strung out along the trail as Jonny and Lucas dropped to the rear of the group to make observations about each of us and our level of fitness and ability to cope with the conditions.

We stopped at the Lookout for a snack break, overlooking the vast bowl that is Ormiston Pound. The variety of colours on the walls continued to change with the strength of the light which was regulated by the height and depth of the cloud that shrouded us. At times, it descended and we were surrounded by light mist.

The Pound.

To this point we had seen small flocks of Zebra Finches. Before we reached the lookout, a few Painted Finches took flight from nearby low scrub. They were too quick to be photographed.

Back on the trail, Jonny strode out before us to ensure lunch was set up and waiting for our arrival down by the river. David and I kept out in front of the others. David because he has young legs. Me in the hope of snapping some birds. I was soon rewarded by a pair of juvenile Painted Finches.

Painted Finch.

As we approached the lunch spot in the river bed, the chatter of the budgies carried to us on the breeze. Flocks of them were swarming from ground to tree to river to tree. I dropped my pack quickly and went off in search of the perfect photo.

Following lunch, I had walked a little way down river when the movement of a Western Bowerbird caught me eye. Such a bogan bird with its purple/pink mullet. He disappeared from sight quickly. I set out unsuccessfully in search of his bower. As I was about to turn back, I heard his metallic, scraping call. He was sitting in a dead tree above his bower which was just beside the river bank.

Western Bowerbird.

The grass walls of the bower were about 30cm in length. One end contained multiple green berries. The other end was a collection of white objects; bleached bones, shells and small rocks. Before we set out again, the group came down to inspect the bower while we were supervised by its owner from a nearby tree.

Spinifex Pigeon.

The rest of the loop continued uneventfully. We crossed and recrossed the river before we settled down to walk the rocky river bed. As we neared the end of the walk and the deeper pools near the kiosk, we met another walker, totally drenched and dripping from chest down. He had reached the deeper pools and rather than retracing his steps and crossing to the other side of the river to access a dry path, he had plunged right in. It was late in the afternoon and the breeze was quite chilly. Fires are not permitted so I have no idea how he was going to dry off or warm himself up.

We continued on and crossed at the sandbar for the climb to the lookout, overlooking the gorge. Sadly, the sandbar revealed a number of dead fish which Jonny explained was caused by a parasite in the gills which dulls a fish’s ability to process enough oxygen from the water.

The swimming hole.

We were soon back at camp, selecting our tents. Dave and I opted to share a tent and he chose one in the front row with a view across the dry river bed. Our swags were placed on a stretcher and came with a sleeping bag and inner. Dinner, barramundi and vegies with a dill sauce, was served by Declan at 6pm. Everyone was in bed around 7:30pm. What party animals.